S.C., Ga. officials cancel meeting for proposed Jasper port

South Carolina and Georgia officials canceled a January meeting for the Jasper Ocean Terminal to gather more information needed for an economic study.

The Joint Project Office issued its statement Wednesday, saying the board studied the status of an economic study and found that it needed more information before presenting it to the full board. The project office is charged with developing a new port terminal in Jasper County and consists of members from Georgia and South Carolina, which will both run the port.

“We plan to present the updated findings at the next (Joint Project Office) meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Charleston on April 16,” said board Chairman Dave Posek and Vice Chairman Jim Balloun in the joint statement.

The board last met in October and approved a $1.2 million budget for fiscal year 2013. It also discussed steps the board must take to study the capacity and navigability of the Savannah River, the location of the proposed port.

The capacity and navigability studies have been sticking points for the project office as South Carolina officials have said the studies need to be completed before the state spends more money on the Jasper project. In December 2011, the S.C. State Ports Authority suspended funding for the Jasper development, saying the project office should study the river’s capacity and navigability before spending more money.